A harsh clang rang out as the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword struck the scythe, sparking blinding flashes in the darkness. Su Li felt his right arm tremble, his hand growing numb as the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword was deflected. The strength of this humanoid shadow was terrifying.
However, the humanoid shadow didn't come out unscathed either. Gripping the scythe, it staggered and took a step back.
At the same moment, Su Li's "Peeping Rune" activated, capturing the data of this humanoid shadow.
"Name: Death, Level: Nine, Race: Undead. A high-level undead evolved from ordinary undead with a unique name, possessing speed and strength far surpassing its kind. Its black tentacles can lash out like whips with immense power. It is a rare type among high-level undead, extremely uncommon."
Processing the information in his mind, Su Li took a deep breath. This creature, wielding a scythe and looking like the legendary Grim Reaper from afar, was indeed called Death among the undead.
It was a rare type of high-level undead.
As Death staggered back a step, Su Li extended his left hand, pulling the Ice Serpent Sword from his chest. With a push off his feet, he lunged forward again.
He didn't intend to drag out the fight with this Death. Instead, he aimed to seize the opportunity to unleash a powerful sword technique, finishing it off with "Ice Serpent King's Bite."
He had already realized that this Death was likely the leader of the attacking undead, its strength surpassing even the nine-level assassin.
With the second form of "Demon Muscles" and "Spider Walk," Su Li's speed was indescribable. The Dragon Rhinoceros Sword in his right hand and the Ice Serpent Sword in his left struck together in a cross slash.
The retreating Death steadied itself, gripping its scythe with both hands. It tried to swing the weapon, but the scythe was too long to fully wield in the corridor. Instead, it thrust the scythe forward while its black tentacles shot out like arrows.
With another clang, Su Li pressed the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword down, blocking the scythe's upward strike. Sparks flew in the darkness as the blades clashed. His left hand swung the Ice Serpent Sword, slicing through three black tentacles with a few swift cuts, sending them flying.
Su Li pressed forward, taking another step. The Ice Serpent Sword extended as he activated "Ice Serpent King's Bite."
In the narrow corridor, with three of its tentacles severed, the Death had no room to dodge. It could only take the full brunt of the attack.
The semi-transparent Ice Serpent Sword seemed to come alive. Scales on its blade emerged, and a massive phantom of an ice serpent appeared, spewing icy mist with a faint hissing roar. The freezing mist surged forward.
Death sensed the terror of this technique, but by the time it noticed, it was too late to evade.
It barely managed to pull the scythe back with its right hand while raising all its black tentacles, lashing them out like whips.
As the data indicated, these tentacles were immensely powerful. Striking the corridor walls, they left fine cracks in the stone.
But as the tentacles plunged into the oncoming icy mist, a sharp sound rang out. Even their immense power couldn't withstand the "Ice Serpent King's Bite." They froze, shattered, and turned into chunks of ice.
The "Ice Serpent King's Bite" completely engulfed Death. Aside from the bone scythe it had pulled back, its tentacles and body were all frozen into an ice sculpture.
With a crisp crack, the ice sculpture began to fracture from within, eventually shattering into ice chunks. Only the bone scythe remained intact, clattering to the ground.
Su Li let out a soft sigh. Without his sword technique, killing this rare Death would have been no easy feat.
He walked over to the fallen scythe. The Death's body had frozen and shattered into ice, but the scythe remained unaffected, clearly a treasure.
"Rongrong—" At that moment, Ding Longyun's voice echoed from above. He rushed down the stairs at the end of the corridor, his face full of panic.
He had been heading straight for the forty-fourth floor but stopped when he saw Su Li, veering toward him.
Su Li turned to look at Ding Longyun charging toward him and was about to speak when he sensed something was wrong.
He had killed this Death, even shattered its body. So why was there no spirit source?
Two possibilities came to mind: either this Death was unique and left no spirit source upon death, or... it wasn't dead.
The thought flashed through his mind like lightning. Su Li immediately activated "Spider Walk," not even bothering to turn and look closely. He retreated at top speed toward Ding Longyun, putting distance between himself and the scythe on the ground. He raised both the Dragon Rhinoceros Sword and Ice Serpent Sword in defense.
At that very moment, the fallen scythe leaped into the air, shooting toward him at terrifying speed.
Su Li's reaction was incredibly fast. The moment he sensed danger, he activated "Spider Walk" to evade. But the scythe was even faster, leaving a blur in the air as it surpassed Su Li's retreating speed. It caught up to him in an instant, slashing down toward his head.
With a sharp cry, Su Li's eyes narrowed. He poured all his strength into both swords, crossing them above him.
Another clang rang out as the swords blocked the descending scythe. Su Li felt his arms go numb. The force behind the scythe was immense, and even with his current strength, he couldn't gain the upper hand.
As he held the scythe at bay, something horrifying happened. The scythe bent like a snake, its tail end shooting forward like a javelin.
With a dull thud, Su Li grunted as the scythe's tail pierced through his chest, blood spraying out. The sharp tip emerged from his back.
Su Li's eyes widened in disbelief. This wasn't a scythe at all—it was a living monster.
He suddenly understood. The Death's body wasn't its true form. The scythe itself was its real body.
The scythe was the Death.
All of this happened in an instant. Ding Longyun, rushing over, saw Su Li's body impaled. His mouth fell open in shock, and his instinctive reaction was to charge forward to help.
Su Li knew that the scythe piercing his chest could tear his body apart in a second. His life hung in the balance.
He pushed the second form of "Demon Muscles" to its peak. The demon faces on his chest and back emerged, muscles contracting and expanding. He used his living muscle tissue to clamp down on the scythe inside him. His left thumb pressed upward, activating the blood crystal power stored in his Blood Ring.
A blinding red light burst from the Blood Ring, forming a beam that shot out with his thumb, striking the scythe.
"Blood Crystal Cannon," activated.
With a roar, the crimson light shot through the corridor like a rainbow, punching into the wall at the end.
Almost silently, the wall was blasted open into a circular hole, its edges scorched and smoking.
Most of the bent scythe was engulfed by the red light, disintegrating instantly. Only the less-than-a-meter-long tail section remained embedded in Su Li's body.
Su Li transferred the Ice Serpent Sword to his right hand and reached to pull out the remaining piece of the scythe. But suddenly, the fragment twisted violently. With a wet sound, it tore through his body, blood spraying as it flew out from his back.
Su Li gasped in pain.
"This thing's still alive?" Shock flickered in his eyes. He turned his head with effort to see the fragment of the scythe veer midair, shooting toward a window at the corridor's edge.
He understood. This Death had incredible vitality. Even reduced to a fragment, it was still alive, though clearly gravely wounded. It was trying to escape through the window.
This monster was too dangerous. He couldn't let it get away.
With a guttural roar, ignoring his severe injuries, Su Li extended both hands and unleashed his most powerful "High-Voltage Electric Shock." Blue-white lightning tore through the corridor's gloom, striking the fragment of the scythe as it tried to break through the window.
Crackling sounds filled the air. A faint, agonized scream seemed to emanate from the scythe as smoke rose from it. It writhed and twisted like a living thing.
Gritting his teeth, Su Li stepped forward and grabbed the fragment. Between his hands, blinding lightning erupted. He channeled all the electrical energy stored in his body into the fragment in an instant.
Su Li watched as the scythe was engulfed in blue-white light. The screams grew fainter, and a burnt smell emanated from it. Soon, spiderweb-like cracks spread across its surface, and the less-than-a-meter-long fragment shattered.
Only when a spirit source emerged from it did Su Li finally let out a long breath. His legs gave way, and he collapsed backward.
Only then did he feel the searing pain in his chest and back, the exhaustion weighing down his body.
From the moment he encountered this Death, he had used "Ice Serpent King's Bite," "Blood Crystal Cannon," and "High-Voltage Electric Shock" to finally kill it.
This battle with the Death was the hardest fight he had faced in days.
The spirit source vanished into his forehead, and a message appeared in his mind.